Intiornis (meaning "Inti bird", the binominal naming means "Unexpected Sun bird"[1]) is an extinct genus of avisaurid enantiornithean birds which existed in what is now North-West Argentina during the late Cretaceous period (Campanian age).[2]

Intiornis
Temporal range: Campanian
~75 Ma
The holotype partial hind limb of Intiornis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avialae
Clade: Enantiornithes
Family: Avisauridae
Genus: Intiornis
Novas et al. 2010
Species:
I. inexpectatus
Binomial name
Intiornis inexpectatus
Novas et al. 2010

Description

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The genus is known from a partial hind limb found in beds of the Upper Cretaceous Las Curtiembres Formation. Three primary toes on a limb of Intiornis are nearly the same length.[1] It was named by Fernando Emilio Novas, Federico Lisandro Agnolín and Carlos Agustín Scanferla in 2010, and the type species is Intiornis inexpectatus. With the body length of around 15 cm (5.9 in)[1] Intiornis was the size of a sparrow, thus representing the smallest enantiornithes known from South America. Its closest relative was Soroavisaurus from the Lecho Formation (Maastrichtian age) of northwestern Argentina.[2]

Phylogeny

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The cladogram below is from Wang et al., 2022:[3]

Enantiornithes
l

Key to letters:

b = Boluochia
c = Cathayornis
e = Enantiophoenix
f = Houornis
h = Longipteryx
i = Parabohaiornis
j = Pterygornis
l = Vorona
m = Yuanjiawaornis
n = Yungavolucris

Paleobiology

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Long toes of equal length and large curved claws suggest adaptability for perching.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Matthew P. Martyniuk (2012). A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs. Pan Aves. p. 142. ISBN 9780988596504. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b Fernando Emilio Novas; Federico Lisandro Agnolín; Carlos Agustín Scanferla (2010). "New enantiornithine bird (Aves, Ornithothoraces) from the Late Cretaceous of NW Argentina". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 9 (8): 499–503. Bibcode:2010CRPal...9..499N. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2010.09.005. hdl:11336/60953.
  3. ^ Wang, Xuri; Cau, Andrea; Luo, Xiaoling; Kundrát, Martin; Wu, Wensheng; Ju, Shubin; Guo, Zhen; Liu, Yichuan; Ji, Qiang (2022-02-11). "A new bohaiornithid-like bird from the Lower Cretaceous of China fills a gap in enantiornithine disparity". Journal of Paleontology. 96 (4): 961–976. Bibcode:2022JPal...96..961W. doi:10.1017/jpa.2022.12. ISSN 0022-3360. S2CID 247432530.